TCB May 2, 2024 — Banding Together

BANDING TOGETHER

At High Point’s inaugural high school Battle of the Bands, mentorship paves the way for the next generation.

BY COURTNEY SINGLETON

| PG. 10

CITY LIFE

THURSDAY

Approachable Yoga @ Footnote

Coffee & Cocktails (W-S) 10 a.m.

Join Jaimee Weaver for accessible, affordable yoga for all levels. Admission includes a coffee or beer to enjoy before or after class. No RSVP required. More information on the Facebook event page.

Outback Presents: Bored Teachers

Comedy Tour @ Carolina Theatre (GSO)

7:30 p.m.

The Bored Teachers Comedy Tour, presented by Bored Teachers Studios, features the funniest teachercomedians on one stage. Just a few tickets remain at carolinatheatre.com

3

MAY 2 - 4

FRIDAY

Annual Gala & Art Auction @ the Art Gallery at Congdon Yards (HP) 6:30 p.m.

TAG’s annual gala and art auction is the organization’s largest fundraiser to support education and outreach programs and visual art exhibits. Enjoy food, drinks, music and more than 100 items up for auction. Visit tagart.org to purchase tickets.

Our Town @ Stained Glass Playhouse (W-S) 8 p.m.

Don’t miss the final show in Stained Glass Playhouse’s 2023-24 season. In Our Town, residents of Grover’s Corner “discover universal truths about what it means to be human and the cyclical nature of life” through their relationships and experiences.” Purchase tickets at stainedglassplayhouse.org

Scan the QR code to find more events at triad-citybeat.com/local-events

4

SATURDAY

Community Day @ Reynolda House Museum of American Art (W-S) 9:30 a.m.

Reynolda is hosting a community day to celebrate selfexpression, creativity and collaboration. Enjoy live music by local bands, hands-on art activities and free access to Seen & Unseen: Photographs by Imogen Cunningham More information at reynolda.org

Second Annual Arts Unbound Festival @ Creative Aging Network (GSO) 10 a.m.

Creative Aging Network invites you to an open house and celebration of arts and culture. Enjoy a Native American Blessing of the Land, garden tours, chair massages and more. Original works of art will be on view and available for purchase. Visit can-nc.org for more information.

Food Truck Rally @ High Point City Lake Park (HP) 12 p.m.

Stop by the park for good eats from food trucks and carts, items from vendors and park amusements. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.

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CITY LIFE

SUNDAY

First Sundays with Humbled Warriors Yoga @ 10 a.m.

Join Humbled Warriors for a yoga session every first Sunday until October on the Cahoots patio. Sign up at bit.ly/49ZOfRx

Cinco De Mayo Taco Bar & Marg Flights @ Bull City Ciderworks (GSO)

12 p.m.

Celebrate Cinco De Mayo with Bull City Ciderworks and Empanada Grill. Pair your chicken, beef, pork or vegetarian taco with margarita flights, cider slushies, house beer and more available at the bar. RSVP at cincodemayotacobar.eventbrite.com

6

MAY 5 - 10

MONDAY

Marvtastic Mixer @ Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts (W-S) 6 p.m.

NC Black Rep kicks off the festival season with a mixer in honor of NC Black Rep’s founder, Larry Leon Hamlin, “Mr. Marvtastic.”

9

THURSDAY

Wine Women & Shoes Fundraiser @ Legacy Stables & Events (W-S) 5:30 p.m.

This fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House Charities will benefit families in the Triad with children facing serious illnesses or medical conditions. Tickets are on sale at winewomenandshoes.com/event/rmhcpt

Scan the QR code to find more events at triad-citybeat.com/local-events

GreenHill’s 50th Anniversary Gala: A Celestial Evening @ Greensboro Cultural Center (GSO) 6:30 p.m.

GreenHill Center for NC Art celebrates 50 years with a gala featuring cocktails, cuisine, a live auction and world premiere of an immersive work of art. Purchase tickets at greenhillnc.org/50th-gala

10

FRIDAY

Candlelight: Featuring Vivaldi’s Four Seasons & More @ Freedman Theatre (W-S) 6:30 p.m.

Enjoy Vivaldi’s Four Seasons & more in the ambience of a candlelit venue. Purchase tickets at feverup. com/m/158888

Bad Moms Potty Mouth Pottery @ Distractions (HP) 5:30 p.m.

Leave the kids at home and create your own piece of potty mouth pottery just in time for Mother’s Day. Reserve your space at distractionsartstudio.com

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OPINION

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

Receive weekly updates on breaking News stories with Monday Mix, stay in the loop with our curated events calendar The Weekender, and view our headlining stories with TCB This Week. But like with

News reporting is a team sport

by

We adhere to high journalistic standards at Triad City Beat

Even though we’re a small team, we always check out the facts, pull the documents, ask the tough questions and even show up to people’s places of work when we need to get straight answers.

But every now and again a story comes along that requires even us to reach out to our most trusted advisors for a third or fourth set of eyes.

And that’s because reporting the news is a team sport.

Even with a story that’s shorter and straightforward, it always is read by at least one other person who edits the piece, line by line, quote by quote to ensure accuracy.

It’s what keeps us safe and ensures that we can maintain the highest standards. It’s also what keeps us from facing legal action, being called “fake news” or losing

the trust of our readers.

But it’s a process. No one reporter or editor can do it all.

In the early days of my time at TCB, my stories would come back with all kinds of line edits by Brian, Eric and Jordan. It was a humbling time.

These days the process is a little easier, mostly because it’s just me and Brian editing the work. But like I said, for some bigger stories, we have to bring in the big guns. And that means, once again, humbling myself to the process. It’s easy, when you’ve been working on a story for months to feel a sense of ownership of the piece. To be invested in it — not in a biased way — but in a way that makes you want to make sure that the words go from just a private Google Doc to a public website or even better, to becoming etched in ink onto paper.

But like with many important things, good news takes time. And as much as I don’t like it, more hands in the pot often yields a better product.

So that’s what we’re doing these days and hopefully you will get to see the fruits of that labor soon enough.

Brian Clarey

brian@triad-city-beat.com

PUBLISHER

Allen Broach

allen@triad-city-beat.com

COUNSEL

Jonathan Jones

MANAGING EDITOR

Sayaka Matsuoka

sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

CITYBEAT REPORTER

Gale Melcher

gale@triad-city-beat.com

Chris Rudd chris@triad-city-beat.com

Jessica Schell

jessica@triad-city-beat.com

TCBTIX

Nathaniel Thomas nathaniel@triad-city-beat.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Carolyn de Berry, John Cole, Owens Daniels, James Douglas, Michelle Everette, Luis H. Garay, Kaitlynn Havens, Matt Jones, Autumn Karen, Michaela Ratliff, Jen Sorensen, Todd Turner, Courtney Singleton

WEBMASTER

Sam LeBlanc

ART

ART DIRECTOR

Aiden Siobhan aiden@triad-city-beat.com

COVER:

Matthew Brailsford, the band director at Southwest Guilford High School, conducts his students during the Battle of the Bands competition.

Sayaka Matsuoka

Photo by Maaroupi Sani Design by Aiden Siobhan

After being

‘slapped on the wrist,’ the city of Winston-Salem is looking to change how its bus service is managed

by Gale Melcher | gale@triad-city-beat.com

For people who don’t own a car or have access to one, buses offer a crucial lifeline to jobs, education and grocery stores, as well as friends and family. According to a 2024 report by Forbes, around eight percent of American households do not own a car, and according to the American Public Transportation Association, 45 percent of Americans do not have any access to public transportation. Nationwide, people board public transportation 34 million times each weekday.

The city of Winston-Salem hopes to bring better bus service to its residents. To do that, they’re parting ways with their current management company, Transdev, who they’ve partnered with since 2010. They’ll be switching to RATP Dev, the world’s thirdlargest public transportation operator, according to the company’s website.

Last year, the Winston-Salem Transit Authority clocked 1.5 million trips along 31 routes, while their fleet of 45 buses carries 5,000 passengers on weekdays. That’s a small dent in the city’s population of nearly 250,000

On May 6, city councilmembers will vote on whether to bring RATP Dev on board. The contract passed unanimously through two of the council’s committees on April 9, and if approved next month, RATP Dev will assume full operational responsibilities on Aug. 1, according to the city’s Transportation Director Jeffrey Fansler. The company would sign a five-year contract with the option to renew another two years. The contract could cost the city $218 million over the course of seven years. This year, WTSA’s operating costs are projected to total about $23 million.

The changes come less than a year after the Federal Transit Administration stepped in to let the city know that they weren’t complying with some of the FTA’s policies.

“We kinda got slapped on the wrist a little bit with how we’ve been doing business,” Fansler explained to city leaders on April 9.

The FTA’s biggest issue was that the city hadn’t looked for a new management contractor in more than a decade. After finding that the city’s oversight and procurement was “not up to par,” the FTA required the city to issue a request for proposals for a new vendor. Fansler added that the partnership with their current vendor, Transdev, has proved to be a “heavy lift” with “high risk” for the city. The company, Fansler explained, only provides the city with a few things such as a general manager and training. All the other risks fall on the city, such as operating contracts, insurance and claims, payroll, fuel, facilities and bus procurement. This is why the city is moving from a management

style contract to an operations style one. Due to their current model, the city has dozens of contracts that deal with WSTA service, from bus maintenance to pest control, including contracts with Flow Auto Center.

“Just the staff time to facilitate that alone is tremendous,” said Fansler, adding that working with a company like RATP Dev “shifts a lot of responsibility” over to them.

Past and future of transit in Winston-Salem

Ibrahima Toure started out as a bus driver more than 20 years ago. Today, he’s RATP Dev’s chief development officer.

RATP Dev will come with some new software, Toure explained to city leaders on April 9.

They’ll work on improving bus tracking so passengers can see where their rides are, plus they’ll install LYTX DriveCam to monitor drivers’ behavior.

East Ward Councilmember Annette Scippio remembers the Safe Bus Company, a transportation company that started in 1926 to serve Black residents during segregation.

Safe Bus Company, which carried around 8,000 passengers daily, was bought by WSTA in 1972. “It’s a wonderful legacy to inherit,” Scippio told Toure.

RATP Dev has worked with other cities across North Carolina such as Durham, Raleigh and Asheville to transition from a management contract to an operations one. Now, leaders in Winston-Salem hope that this change will allow them to focus on increasing ridership. According to city data, ridership dropped from nearly 3 million per year in 2019 to around 1.7 million in 2023.

Using RATP Dev will allow the city to “spend some time developing where our system should be going and not just how to keep the system on the street,” Fansler said.

“When you run a safe, reliable service, your customers will come,” Toure noted.

The company will need to rehire and onboard employees such as bus drivers. Still, their goal is to “retain as many employees as possible,” said Toure. “We really believe in taking care of our employees. Without the employees, we are not gonna be able to do this.”

Clark Campbell Transportation Center is the central hub for the WinstonSalem Transit Authority.

PHOTO BY GALE MELCHER

At FaithAction’s April 27 ID drive in Greensboro, ID Program Manager Jasiel Bernal-Muñoz, in the red shirt, reviews applications and takes photos of those approved to hold municipal IDs.

In Greensboro, a citywide ID program is improving the lives of immigrant residents

Even as state officials take aim at municipal ID programs, immigrants and police in Greensboro say the program is a powerful tool.

by Marielle Argueza | marielle@triad-city-beat.com

To her neighbors, employers, kids and church, Socorro had long been an integral part of Greensboro.. She just didn’t have the documentation to prove it.

Socorro migrated from Mexico to the US in 1997 without a visa.

As an undocumented immigrant, she wasn’t eligible to apply for a federally-issued or state-issued ID. She agreed to speak with Triad City Beat and Next City anonymously; we are using a pseudonym to protect her identity.

“Mexico was not in the best political state. So there wasn’t very much opportunity for employment,” she said.

Like many of Greensboro’s undocumented population, Socorro made the dangerous journey across the US-Mexico Border for a better life. She had her kids very young and she couldn’t find enough work in her home country to support them.

Her journey was harrowing and much of it was on foot. She remembers jumping off of a moving train and injuring her leg, but choosing to walk on anyway.

“But by the grace of God, I didn’t die,” she said.

Socorro lived in Virginia for about five years before moving to Greensboro. For years, she lived her life without an officially recognized ID. Then, in 2015, she needed surgery.

The clinic told her they couldn’t move forward with any treatment until she had a photo ID that established both proof of residency and identity.

Socorro turned to her community for help. Her pastor at Definition Church, suggested she turn to the local nonprofit FaithAction International House, which provided immigration assistance through several programs. The nonprofit launched an ID program and could help her, her pastor explained. She filled out an application, brought a utility bill to establish residency and a birth certificate — the only valid document confirming her identity from Mexico — and got her photo taken. She’s had a FaithAction ID ever since.

Since its ID program launched in 2013, the organization and their network partners across the nation, have issued IDs to more than 30,000 individuals, enabling them to take part in their city’s civic life. The project, which began as a partnership between the organization and the Greensboro Police Department, has begun to extend its outreach to unhoused residents as well as undocumented immigrants.

In response to concerns about public safety, the Greensboro Police Department approached the organization alongside local faith leaders in 2013 hoping to find a solution to bridge the gap between immigrant communities and their officers, who at

PHOTO BY MARIELLE ARGUEZA

that point weren’t getting many reports or tips from neighborhoods with predominantly migrant populations.

Maybe because of inflammatory rhetoric against the immigrant community in recent years or a general distrust of authority figures, immigrants like Socorro operated under the radar of law enforcement.

“[The Greensboro Police Department] was informed a lot of times, families, immigrant refugee families were not reporting these crimes due to the lack of identification,” said Jasiel Bernal-Muñoz, FaithAction ID Program Manager. “They feared the police. If the police department showed up at their front door to get a statement or to follow a report they knew they would be asked for a form of ID and if they didn’t have one, they themselves would go through the consequences.”

Alternative ID programs around the country

Municipal ID programs have been around since 2007, when the city of New Haven, Conn. launched the Elm City Resident Card. The photo ID card allowed residents to access basic services around the city. Since then, cities like New York City, Washington DC, San Francisco, and Asbury Park, NJ have all launched programs.

Like the Greensboro model, many ID programs nationwide came about through a coalition between faith leaders, immigration advocates and other civic leaders.

Some ID programs were created to enable residents to access city-run programs like Washington DC’s One Card, which was initially launched to increase youth participation in recreational programs and after-school services. Others were started because of tragedy, like Asbury Park’s program, which exposed the consequences of a poor relationship between police and immigrant communities. When an undocumented immigrant was murdered in the city in 2007, police were unable to solve the case after very few immigrants were willing to divulge any helpful information.

While some states like California and Massachusetts allow undocumented immigrants to apply for driver’s licenses, it doesn’t provide a perfect solution for everyone — some people can’t drive, others simply don’t have all the documents required (the list of accepted documents for DMVs can be long) and state laws can easily change. North Carolina for instance, used to have a similar law, but then walked back the policy.

Being responsible for a city with a high concentration of immigrants of various legal statuses, the GPD says it needed a solution to do its job efficiently. Not only did the creation of the ID program help build trust between police officers and the immigrant community, it also ensured the consequences would be equal to a resident with legal status if an ID holder did break the law, like driving without a license.

“Having a Faith Action ID is the difference between me just writing a ticket, and spending the night in jail, unfortunately,” says Sgt. Victor Sanchez, School Resource Program Officer for the GPD and primary liaison for the ID program.

Sanchez said it also helps community relations that police officers are almost always present at Faith Action’s in-person ID application events, where they can present on the importance of having a recognized ID and answer applicants’ questions directly.

“We never want to have that first interaction when they get in trouble,” Sanchez said.“So we try to have a positive interaction ahead of time. And having these forums helps that, so we can humanize the police, right? We’ve shown them that we’re not [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and we’re able to talk to them, and that makes a difference.”

Sanchez notes municipal IDs have also helped protect precious original documents and prevent fraud. He’ll often see things like consulate records, passports, birth certificates or other original documents crumpled in people’s wallets or bags. Worst still, some from the undocumented community are sold fake IDs mostly created overseas online.

“Those cards are not illegal until you try to use it for something legal like when you’re being pulled over and you’re using it as an official ID,” says Sanchez.

The FaithAction ID is recognized by the entire department.

“Our officers know what a FaithAction ID looks like. It’s best to just have a copy of your passport or birth certificate and your ID card on instead of just carrying your one and only birth certificate around.”

Limits to Greensboro’s municipal ID program

There are clear limits to the FaithAction ID card. From the in-person, presentation, to the videos and application documents, it’s made clear a FaithAction ID is a nongovernment ID.

The card is only used to establish identity and residency. ID holders cannot use it to

vote, for example, and only certain banks, medical facilities and other businesses have chosen to accept it as valid identification.

And the ID’s benefits are dwindling.

When it was first established in 2013, ID holders could use the ID to sign up for utilities, get library cards or even register for parks and recreation programs. In 2015, state legislators passed HB318, which prevents local municipalities from accepting IDs not approved and authorized by the state. That includes FaithAction IDs.

Sanchez and other law enforcement officers statewide lobbied to have departmental discretion on whether or not to accept municipal IDs as valid proof of identity and residency — and they were successful. Though the law passed, GPD and other surrounding police departments fully recognize the ID.

Despite the fact that its still a valid form of ID in Greensboro, HB 318 was a damaging blow to the effectiveness of the ID in other cities and now almost a decade later, the municipal ID is under attack again by similar legislation. HB 167, which was introduced by Rep. George G. Cleveland (R-Raleigh) on Feb. 21, 2023, seeks to “clarify” how municipal IDs are used — which is to say they can’t be used or recognized at all by law enforcement. The language clearly takes aim at the “discretion” Sanchez speaks of.

“I think it’s a bad idea because ultimately, our goal is to help those that live in our community to give them the services that they need. We take away a form of identification for us to help them, it only hinders them,” Sanchez said. “How are we gonna help now, when you’ve taken those tools away from us?”

While the status of HB 167 is still pending in the House, Socorro just renewed her FaithAction ID.

She’s grateful for the little plastic card she has in her wallet. It allows her to move more easily through a city she’s long called home, and has helped her get the medical care she needed. Without the ID, families like hers would “live in the shadows,” she explains.

“We would live here, but be overlooked by the community. Physically present, but no one would see us.”

EDITORIAL Republicans behaving badly

by Brian Clarey

We generally like to stick to policy in this space when it comes to politics: bills, votes, grassroots movements and the like.

But we can’t ignore a slew of reporting by the Assembly on two incidents involving North Carolina GOP lawmakers that read like the actions of frat boys run amok in all the worst ways.

The first, in a piece that came out on Tuesday, reported out a Reddit post from an employee at a distillery in Kentucky claiming that 33 NC legislators arrived for a bourbon tasting. Among the accusations: they arrived an hour late, already drunk from the bus ride; “loud, unruly conduct”; disrupting the vibe in the distillery; neglecting to tip the servers; and puking in the bathroom sinks.

The Assembly tracked down an invite from Greater Carolina, “A coalition of forward thinking, pro- free market conservative leaders from across North Carolina dedicated to ensuring a strong economic future for ALL of North Carolina,” according to their website, for a 3-day Kentucky Bourbon and Churchill Downs event in Louisville, Ky., listing Sara Newby, finance chair for the NC GOP, as a contact. You might recognize her last

name because her father is chief justice of the NC Supreme Court, Paul Newby. Neither had a comment, nor did anyone else who might have been there.

More serious are the gaps in the story of a tragedy at the wedding of Rep. Dustin Hall (R-Caldwell, Wataugua), who is in line to be the House speaker in January. Over the wedding weekend in December, lobbyist Cory Bryson fell from the back of a truck on the way to the rehearsal dinner, suffering serious injuries — two weeks in the hospital and the loss of vision in one eye.

No one had much to say about this one, either, other than prepared statements signifying nothing. But because Brrson was wearing an Apple watch that called 911 as soon as it detected the wearer had been in a crash, a recording of the moment made it into public record. Most noteworthy is a male voice insisting that the other men “get the alcohol out of the car.”

We know a little something about drinking around here, the places it can take you, the poor decisions it can lead to, the messes it can leave behind in its wake. And while we don;t expect these incidents to affect the career trajectories of anyone involved — as long as they keep their mouths shut! — we feel comfortable in saying that there seems to be faction of the NC GOP that needs to lay off the booze.

Jen Sorensen

John Cole

Courtesy of NC Policy Watch

deep roots many voices

2024 summer outdoor concert series

SATURDAY EVENINGS @ 7PM

may 25

june 1

june 8

june 15

june 22

june 29

july 6

East Nash Grass + The Amanda Cook Band

Caleb Caudle + Wild Ponies

Chatham rabbits

The SteelDrivers

+ The Wilder Flower

Tuba Skinny

Appalachian Road Show + None of the Above

The Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee + New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters

july 13

july 20

july 27

aug 3

aug 17

aug 24

aug 31

David Wax Museum

+ The Travis Williams Group

Fireside Collective

+ Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road

Martha Redbone roots project

+ Zoe & Cloyd

the kruger brothers

Steep Canyon Rangers

Alison Brown Quintet + Wayne Henderson & Friends

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

CULTURE

At High Point’s inaugural high school Battle of the Bands, mentorship paves the way for the next generation

by Courtney Singleton

When Matthew Brailsford was a freshman in high school, he marched on trumpet at Northeast Guilford and continued marching throughout his college career as part of North Carolina A&T State University’s Blue and Gold Marching Machine.

He says that he fell in love with marching because of its competitive atmosphere and the way it helps create lifelong friendships and experiences. Now, as the band director at Southwest Guilford High School, his goal is to provide the same opportunities for his own students.

“I’m here for them to grow,” says Brailsford, who started directing at the school on Aug. 29 of last year. “I’ve already done what I’ve wanted to do with myself. Now I’m just here to be a resource for them and help them reach the best versions of themselves, reaching heights that they never knew they could achieve before.”

When Brailsford first came to Southwest Guilford High School last year, the school’s marching band only had 15 students. Most of them had quit after being without a director for more than two months. Now, more than eight months on the job, the school’s band has about 90 participants, and Brailsford anticipates that the group will continue to grow.

On April 26, Brailsford’s students and others from surrounding high schools performed in the inaugural High Point Classic Battle of the Bands. The event was hosted by Christian Kornegay, known as CDK, a host on 102 Jamz and Brailsford’s former bandmate of A&T’s marching band. This is the first competition Southwest’s Marvelous Marching Cowboys has participated in since getting a new director.

Brailsford plans on using proceeds from the event to buy more uniforms and instruments to support the band’s growth. He also plans on using funds to travel as the band program continues.

“The teacher we had before didn’t have that much passion for the marching band,” says Aleyda Blanco-Reyna, 17, a junior who’s been marching at Southwest since the 7th grade. “The fact that he came here with all this love for the band and wanted to share it with other students, I think that’s really what got us to be more motivated.”

Blanco-Reyna plays the second chair trumpet during the marching season but sits first chair in the school’s jazz ensemble. She’s been anxiously awaiting her performance for Battle of the Bands. She says that students from other schools have been taunting her via social media about how much better other schools would perform. She’s even overheard conversations from her own classmates saying the school was soon to be

Matthew Brailsford, the band director at Southwest Guilford High School, conducts his students during the Battle of the Bands competition.

PHOTO BY MAAROUPI SANI

embarrassed by the outcomes of this event.

“I know our band isn’t at the same levels as Andrews from what I’ve been hearing, but I know that for years to come we’re going to improve, and I want people to keep that in mind,” she says.

“Some people think this is our peak, but it’s not. We’re going to grow, and I want people to know that because we want people to be proud of the band…. We’re the life of the party like Mr. B says.”

As family, friends, students and staff of the schools — Southwest Guilford, High Point Central, TW Andrews and Lexington Senior — gathered to cheer on the bands, excitement built up throughout the halls at Southwest Guilford.

Each band played songs to highlight the students’ melodic and technical playing capabilities in a total of nine rounds, including a drumline and dance team feature. Tensions built up between bands as the night progressed and the bands played tunes at each other from across the gym. Most of the rivalry displayed was between Andrews and High Point Central whose players sat across each other on the floor.

As some of Andrews’ dancers entered the arena, they made their jabs at the other performers.

“Let’s wipe the floor with these [girls],” one of the dancers exclaimed to her team.

In the stands, band alumni from the various schools and nearby colleges also showed their support for the students and directors who they marched with or against in the past.

“I feel like it was important to host the Battle of the Bands because I understand not only how to play, but what these students are going through and how much practice it takes,” says Kornegay, who started marching band his freshman year at Southeast Raleigh High school on the euphonium. Like Kornegay, Cordell Moore, the director of the Andrews Red Radio of Sound, also marched at A&T as a student.

As for the outcome of the competition, who won depends on who you ask. Like in many Battle of the Band competitions, there’s no official winner, just bragging rights. Instead, viewers are left to debate amongst themselves who their favorite is.

But if you ask Brailsford, his answer is clear. As his band completed their final song, he threw the cowboy hat he was wearing into the air, smiling all the while.

“I think my kids did great; half of the battle is just showing up,” Brailsford says after the competition. “I am extremely proud of them. Although it was great and I am proud, we are far from satisfied. There is much more work to be done; there’s always room for improvement. We don’t believe in being content.”

And with that, he walked off, ready to prepare for another season.

Southwest Guilford’s students perform during the inaugural High Point Battle of the Bands on April 26.

PHOTO BY MAAROUPI SANI

Southwest Guilford’s sousaphone line during the inaugural High Point Battle of the Bands on April 26. PHOTO BY MAAROUPI SANI

CULTURE

‘We can tell stories’

Greensboro’s first AAPI Film Festival shows the importance, not the boundaries of the AsianAmerican experience

by Sayaka Matsuoka | sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

The length of a mother’s fingers, wanting to belong, shots of families eating, the humor in certain sounds.

At the inaugural AAPI Film Festival held at the Greensboro History Museum, the messaging across the screen was our shared humanity.

“I wanted to show that Asians are more than doctors or scientists,” said organizer and PAVE NC co-founder Tina Firesheets at the screening of the short films on April 27 ahead of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May. [Disclosure: The author of this article ois also a founder of PAVE NC.]

Firesheets, a local creative and writer, was inspired to organize a citywide AAPI film festival last year. But juggling a full-time job, her family and writing a book left her overwhelmed. So instead, she scaled down the idea, which resulted in a two-hour event where six local Asian filmmakers gathered to talk about their different films. And, according to Firesheets, a film event focused on the AAPI community in Greensboro, was a first.

“I am excited about the Greensboro/Triad community seeing films made by local AAPIs,” she said. “These films aren’t necessarily AAPI-themed, but this also proves that they don’t have to be.”

Among the creatives were Stefan Kei-DiMuzio, Howard Affandi, Paul Byun, Sachi Dely, Richie Iden and Minh Ngo. While they all represent parts of the AAPI community,

they ranged in age and experience in filmmaking.

Byun, for example, is a well-known commercial filmmaker in Greensboro who often makes work that highlights local businesses. His short films “Kenya” and “World Chefs of North Carolina” draw from Byun’s taste for humanizing differences between cultures for a general audience.

A world traveler, Byun — whose family came to the US from South Korea when he was 13 years old — jet-sets every chance he gets to further his goal of broadening people’s understanding of different cultures through filmmaking. In his shorts, children play and men fish in different cities throughout Kenya while chefs from varying countries — France, Laos, Dominican Republic — show off their food for the camera.

At the end of his first short, Byun speaks during the ending credits: “After all, we’re not all that different, are we?”

His question acts as a throughline throughout the rest of the films.

In Sachi Dely’s film “My Mother’s Hands,” Dely plays a fictionalized version of her mother, who has cared for her throughout her lifetime, from when her family had to flee Vietnam to when they immigrated to the United States to when she would tend to Dely when she was sick. While the story is a distinctly personal one that mirror’s Dely’s own history, the message is one of shared humanity: the love mothers have for their children and the lengths to which they’ll go to protect their kids.

(L-R): Tina Firesheets, Sachi Dely, Stefan Kei DiMuzio, Richie Iden, Minh Ngo, Howard Affandi and Paul Byun sit on a panel at the AAPI Film Festival in Greensboro.

PHOTO BY SAYAKA MATSUOKA

After the screening, Dely admitted that her mother has yet to see the film.

“I’ll probably do a private screening for her,” she said.

The other films in the screening like DiMuzio’s “Vocafoli” and “Olivier” by Ngo featuring Affandi and Iden, had almost nothing to do with the Asian-American experience. Instead, they cast their characters in situations that almost any person viewing them would empathize with. In “Vocafoli,” viewers follow a man who wakes up one day and starts hearing all sound effects as human-made beatboxed effects, which understandably results in hilarity. In “Olivier,” the audience watches Ngo grapple with his pursuit of becoming an actor as he thinks critically about his race and the part it plays in his roles. Oftentimes, he doesn’t think about it at all, he says in the film.

And with that sentiment, Ngo explains one of the central inner conflicts that Asian Americans and other people of color in this country have to contend with.

How interesting are our stories because we are Asian American?

It’s a tricky question to contend with given that the title and draw of the event is that it’s an AAPI Film Festival. But once inside, viewers were left with the understanding that although we are Asian American, it’s not all we are.

“I love the diversity of the films,” Firesheets said during the panel discussion after the screening. “They’re not all Asian-themed. It shows that we can tell stories… and that we are informed by these things but we are not bound by these things.”

In the future, Firesheets envisions growing the festival, possibly with sponsors and making it an annual event. It’s something she’s passionate about, even if she’s not the one planning it.

“I’m not a film expert or a filmmaker, I am just driven to raise the visibility of AAPIs in our community,” Firesheets said. “I welcome passing the baton.”

IMANI FRANKLIN

Saturday May 11, 2024 at 7:30 PM

After a sold-out performance for Symphony Unbound, Nia Imani Franklin returns to the stage for a night of gospel, R&B, and favorites from the American songbook accompanied by the full Winston-Salem Symphony. Enjoy Broadway hits like “Being Good Isn’t Good Enough,” jazz standards like Gershwin’s “Embraceable You” and soulful renditions of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” “I Say a Little Prayer for You,” and “At Last.” Nia will also perform a selection from Puccini’s La bohème, which sealed the win for her 2019 Miss America title.

CULTURE

You can learn more about the Greensboro Zine Fest 2024 on their website at gsozinefest.com

Make something good: Greensboro’s zine community is as vibrant as ever

by Autumn Karen | autumn@triad-city-beat.com

ow about we make something good?” 5-year-old Joseph Burello asks artist Jason Lord at the Greensboro Project Space at 111 February One Place on April 20.

They sit before a table littered with various kinds of paper, surrounded by Lord’s MFA exhibition. Creating book materials with the community was always part of the vision for the exhibition through Lord’s artistic spellbook project. Partnering with the Zine Fair proved to be a perfect way to engage with the community.

“Zines are a fun and easy way for people to access creativity,” said Lord, an MFA art student at UNCG. “It’s inexpensive to make one with one page of paper.”

Lord helps young Burello fold a sheet of paper into the book-like zine configuration, then color on the pages. Nearby, Burrello’s parent Remy smiles and folds their own.

“I thought it was a great idea to bring him out,” Remy says. “I made my own printed stuff when I was younger and I really want my son to see lots of different ways to be creative.”

Remy likes how events like this Fold Under Pressure Zine Fair, organized by UNCG’s Visual Art and Humanities Librarian Maggie Murphy, give kids and adults alike the opportunity to understand the creative community from lots of different angles.

According to Murphy, zines are an example of grassroots communication.

A zine is a small, self-published work that’s usually centered around personal

experiences or causes. Often printed on regular letter paper and folded or hand copied, zines focus on giving voice to individual perspectives. At Fold Under Pressure, zines in art, poetry, non-fiction, fiction, political commentary, music and beyond covered the tables, inviting readers to engage with ideas and spark their own creativity.

Murphy organized the event to introduce the people of Greensboro to zines and to give students a chance to show off what they’ve been working on.

While zines have made a comeback in recent years, the history of the art dates back decades, if not centuries. By some measures, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense was a zine, published famously in 1775. Over the years, zines grew to be a covert way to spread important information for underrepresented communities. Historians trace some origins to the Harlem Renaissance through the emergence of pulp magazines in the thirties and into the counterculture movement of the sixties. Because zines are outside of the confines of mainstream publishing, creators are free to play, invent, connect with and challenge readers. Alternative viewpoints and traditionally marginalized voices have long found a platform in zines.

Now there’s this big buzz for zines that’s being reinvigorated by young people.

Buttons with slogans like “Pizza Rolls not Gender Rolls” and “Listen to Black Women” are spread out over the table from the Womens, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program at UNCG. Behind the buttons are baskets holding dozens of zines like “Deadly Dull, Issue No. 1” and “No Means No.”

Students display their zines during UNCG’s Fold Under Pressure Zine Fair on April 20.

PHOTO BY AUTUMN KAREN

Members of the WGSS said that the key to zines is that they’re passed around communities, creating connections.

“It has a lot of great history as a way to get information out, ” says Alyssa Cavalieri of her work with zines and the WGSS. “Especially about stuff related to gender and sexuality”

WGSS boasts a large display of their zine assemblage, though their entire collection was too massive to bring out to the event. The bulk of them live in UNCG’s Curry Building in the third floor WGSS lounge, open for browsing. Besides checking out zines, students can go to the space to work, hang out and get clothing from their clothes closet.

Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter smiles from the black and white cover of “Rocky Horror Callbacks: A S**ty Tiny Zine” on Sam Levi’s table. Inside the folded pages from a black and white printer are stacked lines of observations and experience in the wild world of floor shows.

“I’ve been making zines since I was in high school,” says Levi. “It’s DIY and very accessible. You just use your printer and do the thing.”

Levi was invited by Murphy when they both attended the Chapel Hill/ Carrboro Zine Fest and helped organize that fair, as well as others. One major event in the area, the Greensboro Zine Fest has been dark for five years thanks in large part to the challenges of the pandemic. This year, it returns July 28 to the Crowne at Carolina Theater.

“We have more than 70 applications for entry so far,” says Greensboro Zine Fest organizer Tristin Miller in a phone interview.

With so many creators wanting to participate, this year’s fest will include a curated stable of artists, rather than filling up on a first come, first serve basis. Miller is a longtime event planner and artist in their own right, but putting together the Greensboro Zine Fest is a particularly important passion for them.

“I’m excited to see the community is ready for zines,” Miller says.

Join the captivating finale of Michelle Merrill’s debut season! The journey begins with the evocative melodies from L’amant anonyme, the only surviving opera by the Chevalier Joseph Bologne. Then, take a tragic tour of the underworld in Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice Suite, born of his surreal and heartbreaking opera. The concert reaches its magical conclusion with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, whose imaginative melodies animate the tales from The One Thousand and One Nights.

4 & 5

A variety of art works like buttons and zines were on display during UNCG’s Fold Under Pressure Zine Fair on April 20.

PHOTO BY AUTUMN KAREN

your teens (ages 13-18) a summer adventure to remember! Titan Tech offers a wide range of hands-on, career exploration programs using the latest technology and faculty experts in the field.

BY CAROLYN DE BERRY

Hill Street, Greensboro

Lliam Robinson, 8, practices his new favorite sport at the Latham Skate Park.

PUZZLES & GAMES

CROSSWORD

by Matt Jones

SUDOKU

by Matt Jones

Across

1. “___ the weather up there?”

5. Hurricane response org.

9. Pleased

13. Occupied, as a desk

14. Tehran’s location

15. Shine partner

16. Ancient Greek mathematician who couldn’t bring his triangle theorem out into the open?

18. Comcast and Spectrum, for two

19. Abbr. after a seller’s suggested price

20. Seat of Washoe County, Nevada

21. Like fishnets

22. “Good for life” pet food brand

24. Job interview subject, even when you can’t face the work?

27. Alpacas’ cousins

29. “Boom Clap” performer Charli

30. 1055, to Caesar

31. Mr., in Spain

32. ___ stands

34. Spanakopita cheese

35. 1998 National League MVP who’s not big on germs?

38. Spice Girl who turned 50 in April 2024

41. “___ I a stinker?” (Bugs Bunny line)

42. Tricks

46. Cold War broadcast across the Atlantic, for short

47. Bowling target

48. Unfortunate event

49. Exactly right, but without the blood?

53. Lawnmower brand that means “bull”

54. Play dirty, per a Michelle Obama catchphrase

55. Rowboat need

57. Coating material

58. Is repentant of

59. “Like that’s believable, even at this awful height!”

62. Admin.’s aide

63. One of the Hawaiian Islands

64. Nervous utterances

65. Chaotic state

66. Tiny puff of smoke

67. Act gloomy

Down

1. Seat at a barn dance, maybe

2. Footstool

3. When doubled, a guitar effect

4. “A ___ Is Born”

5. Shrek’s wife

6. It might be clerical

7. Old ewe in “Babe”

8. Response, for short

9. “Peer Gynt” composer Edvard

10. Nimble

11. Road-surface material

12. Songwriter Buddy who co-founded Capitol Records

13. Gives away the ending of 17. 100 ___ (“Doritos & Fritos” duo)

21. Mystery guest moniker

23. Internet comedy group since 2002

25. Live and breathe

26. ___-1 (“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” vehicle)

28. Legendary Notre Dame coach Parseghian

32. Acid in proteins

33. Ant. antonym

34. Goethe “deal with the devil” character

36. Injure badly

37. ‘80s anti-missile plan, for short

38. List of events

39. Ineffectual

40. Like homes without TVs, slangily

43. Chance to take your shot?

44. Symptom of otitis

45. Multipurpose utensils

47. Chapel bench

48. “___ Breckinridge” (Gore Vidal novel)

50. Dawson, Combs, Anderson, Karn, O’Hurley, and Harvey, e.g.

51. ___ Arcade (business trying to look cool in “Wayne’s World”)

52. Absorb eagerly

56. “You rebel ___” (“Return of the Jedi” line)

59. Impress

60. “Bali ___” (“South Pacific” highlight)

61. P, in the Greek alphabet

Saturday, May 4th 2-5pm

Windsor Recreation Center 1601 East Gate City BlvD

Thu 5/02

Normandy, When the Wind Blows

@ 6pm / $58

Reto's Kitchen, 600 South Elam, Greensboro

Brook Wood @ 8pm

The Ramkat & Gas Hill Drinking Room, 170 W 9th St, Winston-Salem

Fri 5/03

Sound Of Music

@ 7:30pm

High Point Theatre - NC, High Point

The Tannahill Weavers: Fiddle & Bow present Scotland's Tannahill Weavers @ 7:30pm

Church of the Covenant Presbyterian, 501 S Mendenhall St, Greensboro

Radio Revolver: Firehouse Taproom

@ 8:30pm FireHouse TapRoom, 10146 N Main St, Archdale

Sat 5/04

Star Wars Embroidery Workshop @ 2pm / $12

May the Fourth be with you Reconsidered Goods, 4118 Spring Garden Street, Greensboro. education@ reconsideredgoods.org, 336-763-5041

Sound Of Music

@ 7:30pm

High Point Theatre - NC, High Point

Sun 5/05

Mercy's Well

@ 10am

Liberty Wesleyan Church, 15303 US-158, Summer‐�eld

Trio Trio Trio! Live Jazz at Lewis and Elm with Steve Haines, Cecilia Richardson, and Jack Jones @ 4pm

UNCG jazz professor Steve Haines and students Ce‐cilia Richardson and Jack Jones will bring their guitar

trio to Lewis and Elm on May 5th from 4-6pm, playing a swinging set of standards and originals! Lewis and Elm, 600 South Elm Street, Greensboro

Sunday Yoga @ SouthEnd Brewing Co.

@ 10am / $5

SouthEnd Brewing Co, 117b West Lewis Street, Greensboro

All Them Witches @ 7pm

The Ramkat, Winston Salem

Jess Klein & Karyn Oliver @ 7pm

Muddy Creek Cafe, 5455 Bethania Rd, WinstonSalem

Rich Ruth @ 8pm

The Ramkat & Gas Hill Drinking Room, 170 W 9th St, Winston-Salem

Mon 5/06

Taco about a Good Class! @ 6pm / $58

Reto's Kitchen, 600 South Elam, Greensboro

Tue 5/07

Winston-Salem Dash vs. Asheville Tourists

@ 11am Truist Stadium, Greensboro

Wed 5/08

In Flames @ 7pm / $25 Piedmont Hall, Greensboro

Martha Bassett @ 8pm

The Ramkat & Gas Hill Drinking Room, 170 W 9th St, Winston-Salem

Thu 5/09

Africa Unplugged Residency at The Artist Bloc @ 8pm

The Artist Bloc, 1020 W Gate City Blvd, Greensboro

Fri 5/10

@souljammusic: SJ Trio @ WS Joymongers @ 7pm Joymongers Barrel Hall, 480 W End Blvd, WinstonSalem

Sat 5/11

WS Ambassadors Annual Meeting & Everyday Awards @ 1:30pm / $12.62

Salem Lake Marina (Event Center), 1001 Salem Lake Road, Winston Salem

The Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs @ 6pm Pig Pounder Brewery, 1107 Grecade St, Greensboro

Sun 5/12

I Ya Toyah @ 6pm Hangar 1819, 1819 Spring Garden St, Greensboro

Nate Bargatze @ 7pm

Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W Gate City Blvd, Greensboro

powered by

Sunday Yoga @ SouthEnd Brewing Co.

@ 10am / $5

SouthEnd Brewing Co, 117b West Lewis Street, Greensboro

Mon 5/13

Take a MOM-ent for this Class! @ 6pm / $58

Reto's Kitchen, 600 South Elam, Greensboro Shallow Side @ 7pm

Hangar 1819, 1819 Spring Garden St, Greensboro Baroness @ 7pm

The Ramkat & Gas Hill Drinking Room, 170 W 9th St, Winston-Salem

Tue 5/14

Take a MOM-ent for this Class! @ 6pm / $58

Reto's Kitchen, 600 South Elam, Greensboro

$5K - May @ 6:30pm / $5

285 Meadowlark Drive, Winston-Salem

Wed 5/15

Take a MOM-ent for this Class! @ 6pm / $58

Reto's Kitchen, 600 South Elam, Greensboro

Taylor Hunnicutt @ 7pm

Flat Iron, 221 Summit Ave, Greensboro

Calendar information is provided by event organiz‐ers. All events are subject to change or cancellation. This publication is not responsible for the accuracy of the information contained in this calendar.